1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to antibacterial antiplaque oral compositions and also to compositions containing a novel essential antiplaque component comprising a substantially water insoluble, noncationic antibacterial alkylated phenol compound more fully described below and to a selected group of such compounds which are considered novel.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Dental plaque is a soft deposit which forms on teeth as opposed to calculus which is a hard calcified deposit on teeth. Unlike calculus, plaque may form on any part of the tooth surface, particularly including at the gingival margin. Hence, beside being unsightly, it is implicated in the occurrence of gingivitis.
Accordingly, it is highly desirable to include antimicrobial (antibacterial) agents in oral compositions to reduce plaque.
The cationic antibacterial materials such as chlorhexidine, benzethonium chloride and cetyl pyridinium chloride have been the subject of greatest investigation as antibacterial antiplaque agents. However, they are generally not effective when used with anionic materials. Noncationic antibacterial materials, on the other hand, can be compatible with anionic components in an oral composition.
However, oral compositions typically are mixtures of numerous components and even such typically neutral materials as humectants can affect performance of such compositions.
Halogenated hydroxydiphenyl ethers such as triclosan have been very effectively employed in oral compositions as antibacterial antiplaque agents. However, it is desirable to be able to provide non-halogenated agents which are highly effective and possibly even more effective than triclosan.
Phenol and alkyl substituted phenols are well known and widely used antimicrobials. Thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) is an active antimicrobial agent in commercial mouthrinse formulations, but its anti-microbial activity is considered relatively low and possibly insufficient, its activity for example being only a small fraction of the activity of triclosan. Hitherto, alternatives to triclosan having substantially greater antiplaque activity than thymol or than monoalkyl phenols and optimally comparable to or even greater then the activity of triclosan have not been available.
It is an object of this invention to provide an antiplaque oral composition with substantial antiplaque effectiveness containing noncationic phenolic oral antibacterial antiplaque agents (AA) as alternatives to triclosan. Another object is to provide alkyl phenolic AA's which, except for the single OH group, are entirely hydrocarbon and which have oral antimicrobial activities up to 100 or more times the activity of thymol, for instance up to as much as or exceeding the activity of triclosan. A further object is to provide such AA's which are, or can be expected to be, found in nature, e.g. plant material, etc. Still another object is to provide novel AA's. Other objects and advantages will appear as the description proceeds.